


One Fish, Two Fish

by vienna_waits



Category: due South
Genre: Community: Bring the Happy, Gen, Sweet, awwww
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-27
Updated: 2010-09-27
Packaged: 2017-10-12 06:10:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/121688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vienna_waits/pseuds/vienna_waits
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ben is a very precocious three year-old.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Fish, Two Fish

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2010 LiveJournal "Bring the Happy" challenge. The prompt is "Fraser -- book."

Dad is in the armchair by the fireplace, smelling of snow and faraway places, sleepy and contented, and Ben sits on his lap with his favorite book, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. He is so happy to have Dad home that he never wants to go to sleep again. If he just stays on Dad's lap, Dad will stay here. "This one has a little star. This one has a little car," Ben reads.

"Good, son," Dad says. "You've been practicing while I was away."

Ben skips to his favorite part of the book, clears his throat, and reads with as much flair as he can muster: "Once there was a little Nook. On his hat he had a hook. On his hook he had a book. On his book was 'How to Cook.' But a Nook can't read and a Nook can't cook, so what good to a Nook is a hook cook book?" He points at the picture, holds it above his head so his father can see, and giggles.

"Very good!" Dad says. "Caroline, did you hear that? By Jove, I think the boy can read! At the tender age of three, no less."

Mum looks up from her knitting. "He's memorized the book, dear," she says gently.

"Well, let's just see. Ben," he motions for Ben to hand over the book and flips it open to a different page, "what's that word right there? The one right above my finger."

Ben leans in, licks his lip, and concentrates hard on the squiggles. This is really important, and he doesn't want to mess it up. He says the word three times in his head before he's sure enough to say it out loud. "Black."

"Right!" his father says. He flips to another page, points to another word. "What's this one?"

"Cats," Ben says quickly. He loves cats. He's never actually seen one, but they look so fluffy and cute in pictures.

"That's right." He points at several more words, each on a different page, and Ben knows every one of them. Dad's smile gets bigger and bigger, and Mum puts down her knitting and comes over to stand next to them to watch.

"He really can read," she finally says in amazement.

"Yes, he can," Dad says, and Ben can hear the pride rising off the words like steam from the teakettle.

"I like to read," says Ben. "Can I read you a story?"

"Yes, you can," Dad says, still proud, and settles in to listen.


End file.
